Cooking utensil.



'I. E. MILLER.

COOKING UTENSIL.

APPLIOATION FILED 11110.29, 1900.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

WzZ/z ems 61 a 5. m. Q Q- m 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC E. MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COOKING UTENSIL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC E. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooking Utensils, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cooking utensils and has for its object theproduction of a device of such character which may be employed to cookarticles in a variety of different ways, such as to roast, bake, steam,or stew the same.

A further object is the production of a device of the charactermentioned which will be of a sectional nature whereby the same may bereduced or increased in size so as to adapt it to accommodate articlesof various dimensions or various numbers of articles.

Another object is the provision of a cooking utensil as mentioned whichwill be efficient in operation and of strong and durable construction.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

WVith these objects in view my invention consists in a cooking utensilcharacterized as above mentioned and in certain details of constructionand arrangement of parts all as will be hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and inwhich,

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the preferred form of mydevice taken on substantially line w-w of Fig. 2, Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection thereof taken on substantially line y-y of Fig. 1, or simply atop plan view with the upper section removed, and Fig. 3 is a sectionaldetail.

Referring now to the drawings 1 indicates the lower heating member orboiler of the device comprised in which is an outer shallow pan-portion2 provided centrally in the bottom thereof with an opening 3. A conicalpartition 4 extends from the upper edge of said pan-portion to thesurrounding edge of the opening 3, as shown, whereby an annular waterchamber 5 is formed. A spout 6 is provided upon the lateral wall of themember 1, said wall being provided with a larger water inlet ordischarge opening 7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 29, 1909.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Serial No. 535,452.

communicating with the lower extremity of said spout and smaller steamescapement openings 8 adjacent the upper edge thereof. In use, theboiler 1 should contain only such a quantity of water as to leave openat least one of the openings 8 for escapement of steam, to thereby avoidexplosion by overpressure.

Arranged over the member 1, a circumferential internal bead 9 formedtherein adjacent the lower edge thereof resting upon the upper edge ofthe member 1, is a tubular member of section 10 open at both ends.Opposingly arranged upon the outer surface of the member 10 are suitablehandles 11. Arranged within the member 10, the depending extremities 12of the comprising arms 13 thereof being removably supported upon theupper edge of the member 1, is a supporting web 14. Said arms 13, asseen, are disposed at right angles to each other and are united at theircenters together with disks 15 by a rivet 16. Arranged above the member10 is a member 17 similar in form to the latter. The lower end of themember 17 telescopes with the upper end of the member 10, as shown, thelower extremity thereof resting upon an internal bead 18 formed in themember 17 adjacent the upper edge thereof. The member 17 adjacent itslower edge is also formed with an external head 19 which is adapted toengage the upper edge of the member 10. Hence the member 17 is supportedupon the latter.

Rigidly secured, as by rivets 20, within the member 17 is a supportingweb 21 similar to the web 14 before described, the same comprising theangular-1y disposed arms 22 and the central disks 23 secured together bya rivet 24L. Said member 17 is also provided with suitable exteriorlydiametrically opposed handles 25.

Having its lower end portion telescoping with the upper end portion ofthe member 17, the latter being provided adjacent its upper extremitywith an internal circumferential head 26 adapted to support the same, isa cylindrical receptacle 27 open only at its upper end. The lateral wallof said receptacle is also provided adjacent its lower extermity with anexternal circumferential bead 28 adapted to engage the upper edge of themember 17. Hence said receptacle is detachably supported in position inthe latter. Diametrically opposed handles 29 are also provided upon thelateral walls of said receptacle.

30 indicates a handled lid comprising a preferably conical top portion31 and a depending flange portion 32 at the periphery of said topportion. Said flange portion is of a diameter adapting it for receptionin the upper end of any of the members or sections 10, 17 or 27 thelatter being all formed of a uniform inner diameter, and is providedwith an external circumferential bead 33 adapted, when the lid ispositioned upon any of the sections, to limit insertion of said flangeinto the latter. Having its peripheral edge secured, as by solder, tothe flange 32, the same being spaced from and disposed parallel with thetop portion 31 is an auxiliary top plate or wall 34. The latter isprovided centrally with an opening 35 and the flange 32 with a pluralityof spaced perforations 36 communicating with the space intervening thetop walls 31 and 34. With this provision, when the utensil is inoperation and said lid is in position on one of sections 10 or 17, theheated gases arising from the heating medium over which the device isarranged, and which ascend in the latter, will first contact theauxiliary top wall 34. The latter, because of its conical form, willdivert some of said gases inwardly and downwardly into contact with theupper surface of the article being cooked and whereby a uniform cookingof the article is effected. By the double walled construction of thetraversing portion of the lid, the heated gases will not contact withthe cooler upper or outer wall of the lid, which would evidently effectthe cooling thereof, until immediately before the same is eX- haustedthrough the perforations 36. Hence the gases which act upon the topsurface of the article being cooked will be of substantially the sametemperature as those acting upon the bottom and lateral. surfacesthereof with the result before stated.

Provided upon the lower section or water container 1 adjacent theperiphery thereof the same communicating with the annular water chamber5 in said section, is an upwardly projecting nipple 37. Provided in thebottom of the receptacle 27 adjacent the periphery thereof is adepending nipple 38. Extending between said nipples 37 and 38 is adetachable pipe connection 39. VVit-h this provision it will be seenthat in use if it is desired to steam an article in the upper sectionwithout subjecting the interiors of the intermediate sections to thesame treatment, it may be readily effected by the employment of saidpipe connection, as shown and described. The course of the steam throughlid 30 will be the same as that of the heated gases and withsubstantially the same effects. However, when it is desired to steam anarticle as stated, the member 1 must needs be so arranged over theheating medium or burner 40 that the heating flame will contact theunder surface of said member, such position thereof being indicated indotted lines in Fig. 1. hen the device is so arranged the heating of thewater in the member 1, and hence the desired generation of steam will beeffected.

Vith the provision of a device of a construction as shown and described,articles or receptacles containing the same may be arranged in either ofthe sections 10 and 17 upon the supporting webs provided therein. If itis desired to dry-cook, for instance, to bake the same and to not employthe upper section, the member 1 may be arranged centrally over theheating medium, as shown in full lines, and the pipe connection 39removed and replaced by a closure 41. In this case the upper receptaclemay be removed from its position and the lid arranged upon the section17. If it is desired to steam articles in these sections, the deviceneeds only to be positioned as before described eccentrically over theheating medium and said closure removed. With these illustrations itwill be observed that various combinations to cook articles in differentways may be employed and that any one of the sections may be separatelyemployed or all may be simultaneously used.

The annular water chamber serves as a water jacket for the hot gasesfrom the burner and thus absorbs heat which would otherwise be radiatedand lost, and the arrangement furnishes a convenient and efficient meansfor supplying either dry or moist heat to the cooker. v

lVhile I have shown what I deem to be the preferable form of my device Ido not wish to be limited thereto as there mightbe various changes madein the details of construction and the arrangement of parts describedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention comprehended withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim. as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A base comprising a closed annular water container having a centrallydisposed heat passage way, a section above said base in directcommunication with said passage way, a receptacle above said sect-ion,said receptacle being closed at the bottom and open at the top, aclosure for the top of said receptacle, and a tubular connection betweensaid water container and said receptacle, substantially as described.

2. A cooking utensil comprising a base member open at the top and bottomand provided with an annular water container, a plurality ofsuper-imposed open tubular sections having supports therein andcommunicating With each other and said base member, a receptaclearranged above said tubular sections, said receptacle being closed atthe bottom and provided With a top closure, said closure being adaptedto fit either of said tubular sections, a nipple on the bottom of saidreceptacle communicating With the interior thereof, a similar nipple onthe upper face of said Water container and a detachable pipe arrangedWithin said ISAAC E. MILLER.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR A. OLsoN, JOSHUA R. H. Por'rs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

